Lorgat hails India-South Africa Tests

ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat on Monday welcomed India's effort to squeeze in a two-Test series against South Africa early next year.

Written by NDTVSports

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New Delhi:

ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat on Monday welcomed India's effort to squeeze in a two-Test series against South Africa early next year and asked member boards to find a balance between cricket's three formats.

"It's the responsibility of the member boards to schedule bilateral series. I learnt that initially no Test had been scheduled but they will now play a two-Test series and perhaps that's the best that can be done in the current scenario," Lorgat said here.

India ended the year as the number one Test team in the world only to find that they have scheduled just two Tests in the next 11 months which the Cricket Board realised was just not enough to protect the tag.

A last minute effort was made to convince South Africa to drop two one dayers and play a couple of Tests when they tour India in February-March.

Cricket South Africa, in principle, has agreed to the idea but the schedule has not been announced yet.

Lorgat said ICC expected its member boards to behave responsibly and strike a balance among the three formats of the game.

"We would want to see an appropriate balance of Test, one day and Twenty20 cricket. We have our guideline but the specific scheduling rests with the member boards and we would like them to be responsible enough and strike the right balance," the ICC official said.

Lorgat said next year's India-South Africa Test series would be a marquee affair.

"India have beaten some of the best teams in the world and I'm hopeful that they would play South Africa in a two-match Test series early next year. I think that can be billed as the battle for the number one Test team's tag," Lorgat said.

Asked about the progress made in the standoff with World Anti-Doping Agency on the vexed 'whereabout' clause, Lorgat made it clear that ICC was not even thinking about withdrawing from WADA and said the issue would come up for discussion in the next ICC Executive Committee meeting.

"Withdrawing from WADA is not an option. The current status is that it's a work in progress and we are working with key members boards like India to resolve the practical problem of 'whereabouts' of the players.

"We have made some progress and will put some proposals at our next Executive Committee meeting. Meanwhile, testing, both in and out of competitions, would continue," he added.

Lorgat also threw his weight behind the Decision Review System, saying it was delivering the results.

"I fully support the use of technology to assist umpires and statistics suggest we are close to getting 100 correct decisions. One wrong decision can change the fate of a match and that should not happen.

"I think DRS would get even better. Already players are using it with more circumspection. It was never meant to challenge the umpires but to root out errors and it is working," Lorgat added.